Over the years, various types of spray caps, actuator assemblies and mechanisms for controlling the dispensing of fluid from a pressurized aerosol spray canister have been manufactured. Such caps, assemblies and mechanisms have been used to achieve different volumetric spray rates as well as impart a desired spray pattern and/or particle size to the dispensed fluid.
Particular spray patterns are necessary or desired, for example, for aerosol canisters which dispense cleaning supplies such as a carpet cleaner. It is desirable, when spraying an area of a carpet, to utilize a wide spray pattern so as to cover a substantially large spray area during a relatively short period of time. However, in the situation where a carpet has localized staining or soiling, for example, it is desirable to dispense a concentrate, focused spray at the localized stained or soiled area.
Creating a desired spray pattern for a fluid emanating from a fluid flow control device is generally fairly well known in the industry. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 55,285 issued to Gurley discloses a pivotable spreader attachment for a fire hose for spreading a stream of water issuing from the hose in a wide angled pattern in order to cover a substantial area of the fire. The spreader consists of a pivoting spray head attached to the end of the hose which can be pivoted out of the way of the stream of water to allow a solid stream of water to issue out of the hose. When the spreader is re-engaged in its housing, water is forced through the spray head and sprayed in a fan-like pattern to cover a wide area of fire.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,442 to Hoening, discloses a spray cap having a swirl chamber and communicating passageways particularly sized for various substances to be dispensed from the spray can. In this reference, a particular orifice is conformed to the size needed for the effluent to efficiently issue from the valve body at a relatively high rate and in a predetermined pattern. While this shows the different size orifices, passageways and spray caps must be molded to accept particular fluid products, it does not indicate any method of switching or changing the spray pattern of the issuing fluid product from a single actuator cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,284,007 to Clapp is an example of an actuator cap which can be interchangeably upended and switched between either end of a single passageway in the actuator cap. Both ends are adaptable to the cans valve stem and both ends effect the issuing fluid in a particular manner providing varying flow characteristics to the issuing product.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,816 to Focht discloses a variable flow rate actuator button having separate longitudinal feed grooves in the side wall of a rotating internal plug. The separate grooves allow for variable flow rate communication between the valve stem and the discharge orifice of the actuator. While Focht '816 shows an apparatus for changing the flow rate of a fluid, it does not indicate a method of changing the spray pattern.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,030 issued to Jones is a multiple pattern spraying apparatus. Jones '030 shows a spray cap which can dispense a working fluid from an aerosol can in a plurality of spray patterns. Jones '030 provides an indexed spray head which rotates about an axis which is parallel to, but offset from the axis of the valve stem. The spray head contains a plurality of nozzle outlets, each of these outlets has an associated passageway which must be moved independently into communication with the valve stem in order to allow passage of the fluid from the container out of the selected nozzle.